Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

This recipe for Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad contains so many of my favorite ingredients. That includes beets, goat cheese and arugula greens plus a savory balsamic vinegar dressing. The whole thing is so easy to whip up, and I’m confident it will become one of your new favorite salads.

Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

Salads are often considered the unsung heroes of the culinary world. They’re sometimes overlooked, but when done right, a salad can be a star in its own right. The one is such a shining example — a dish that combines a variety of flavors and textures to create a delightful eating experience.

This salad is a fusion of sweet, tangy, earthy and nutty flavors. Starting with the golden beets that you’ll roast in the oven to the subtle tangy of the creamy goat cheese. Then there is the satisfying crunch from the chopped pistachios and the refreshing aroma of basil leaves. It is just such a pretty salad to look at and even more enjoyable to eat. It’s right up there with a spinach strawberry salad.

I love that I can use basil from my garden in this salad. Also, did you know that basil is one of 23 vegetables you can regrow from kitchen scraps? It’s true!

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
• 4 golden beets peeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
• 1 red onion thinly sliced
• 4 cups baby arugula
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 cup pistachios chopped
• 3 ounces creamy goat cheese crumbled
• fresh basil leaves

Equipment

• 1 Sheet Pan
• 1 Silpat Mat

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 F and line a large baking sheet or sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat.

Toss the chopped golden beets with one tablespoon of olive oil and fresh thyme. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Place in the preheated oven and roast until the beets are fork-tender and slightly browned, approximately 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Whisk the remaining olive oil with the balsamic vinegar and minced garlic in a small bowl. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Transfer dressing to an airtight serving container and set aside until ready to serve the salad.

Add the tomatoes, red onion and baby arugula to a large salad bowl or serving platter. Top with the roasted beets, pistachios, goat cheese and fresh basil. Serve immediately with the balsamic dressing on the side. Enjoy!

Notes

You can buy goat cheese crumbles if you don’t want to have to deal with crumbling the cheese on your own.

This recipe calls for golden beets because they’re a lovely contrast to the red tomatoes and green basil leaves and arugula. However, if all you can find are purple beets, go ahead and use them.